1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to colored zinc powder, and a method for producing the colored zinc powder. The present invention also relates to the coloring of an article.
2. Description of Related Arts
A technique for color development is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-129,788. That is, steel or the like is hot-dip galvanized in a zinc bath which contains Ti, V or Mn, and is then heated so as to develop the color.
However, colored zinc powder or colored zinc-alloy powder on which the color is developed, is heretofore unknown.
The color developing method by hot-dip galvanizing is applied to basic materials such as a steel sheet, a steel pipe, and the like, but it is difficult to apply it to materials which are already assembled into final products. In addition, the color developing method by hot-dip galvanizing is difficult to apply locally on portions of the material. There are, in addition, such drawbacks as: color development of dark brown is difficult; the throwing power of melt by the plating bath on a steel product having a curved surface is too weak to provide uniform development of color; and application to metals other than iron is difficult.